Apparatus for use in making shoes



H. L. SLITCLIFFE 2,170,837

MPARATUS FOR USE IN MAKING SHOES Aug. 29, 1939.

2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 27, 1938 Au 29, 1939. H. SUTCLIFFE APPARATUS FOR USE IN MAKING SHOES Filed May 27, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I ll/6 VIIIIIIIIIIIA.

Patented Aug. 29, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

APPARATUS FOR. USE IN MAKING SHOES Application May 27, 1938, Serial No. 210,445

16 Claims.

This invention relates to shoemaking and; more particularly, to apparatus for use in making shoes where the margin of the upper is attached to the margin of a sole member while unsupported on a last. In making such shoes, the upper must be accurately cut to provide adequate seam allowance'but with little or no surplusage and must be carefully brought intoproper relation with the sole margin, match marks on the sole and on l0 the upper being provided to guide the operator in assembling the parts. Also, in order to have the accurately patterned upper fit evenly about the margin of the sole, it is necessary that the sole be transversely bent to conform'substantial- 1y with the heightwise curvature of the upper margin and that the sole be maintained in its bent or conformed condition while the upper is being attached, all as taught in United States Patent No. 2,107,501, granted February 8, 1938, on application of Edward Quinn.

With the broad object of facilitating attachment of the unlasted uppers to the sole members, the present invention provides a simple and inpensive apparatus consisting, partly, in the combination of a suitable work support or form mounted on the upper end of a jack, with a spring whereby the form and abutment are urged one toward the other to bend and clamp the sole against the form in condition to receive the mar- 3 gin of the shoe upper smoothly and evenly. In order that work held in the apparatus may be readily moved into positions convenient for the operator, both the spring-pressed work support and the opposed abutment are mounted for concentric pivoting movements, permitting the sole to be oscillated or rotated while held firmly clamped in its bent or conformed condition. The invention also consists in mounting the form for longitudinal rocking movement and in providing two spaced abutments, one on either side of the rocking axis of the form, so that the form will automatically adjust itself to insure equal pressure of the clamped sole against each of the abutments. Other features consist in the provision of means for effecting various adjustments permitting the apparatus to be used in assembling shoes of different shapes and sizes, and further features of novelty and advantage will be particularly pointed out in the following detailed =50 specification.

Referring to the accompanying drawings which illustrate a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 1 is a plan view of the apparatus;

to; Fig. 2 is a side elevation on a smaller scale;

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line III--III of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is an inverted plan view of a portion of the frame taken on the line IV--IV of Fig. 2, details of the spring catch construction for latching the frame members together being shown in cross section;

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line V--'-V of Fig. 2;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the extensible form on which the sole member is mounted and against which it is conformed and clamped;

Fig. 7 is a side elevation showing the form supported on the upper end of the jack post, a sole on the form being shown in section;

Fig. 8 is an inverted plan view of the extensible form;

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line IX-IX of Fig. 7; and

Fig. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line X-X of Fig. 7.

Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, the support for the device comprises a cylindrical bearing l5 adjustable heightwise in a split collar 16 having a flange 16 whereby the bearing is secured to a bench or work table ll. At its upper end the bearing forms a swivel head having an annular groove IS, in which is received the semicircular flange 32 of a hub 3| formed on the lower arm of a C-shaped frame 30 rotatably mounted on the head. The lower arm of the frame is retained in position by the jack post 20 which extends through the hub 3i of the frame and through the bearing IS. A perforate cap 2| pinned on the lower end of the jack post provides a socket for swivel head 23 formed on the upper end of a link rod 22 which, in turn, is fastened by a clamp 24 to rod 25 connected to treadle lever 26. A spring 28 having its opposite ends anchored respectively to the clamp 24 and to the lower end of the bearing [5 is normally tensioned to urge the link rod and connected jack post upwardly to press the work support or form mounted on the upper end of the jack post toward abutments 36-46 carried on the upper arm 35 of the C- shaped frame. The clamp 24 is adjustable on the link rod 22 and treadle rod 25 to vary the tension of the spring as well as to adapt the apparatus for mounting on benches or work tables of different heights.

From the description thus far given it maybe pointed out that the form 50 may be drawn away from the abutments 36 -36 by depressing the treadle against the resistance of the spring and that upon release of the treadle the spring will retract and move the form upwardly to clamp the sole S thereon against the abutments.

, The work support or form 50, any one of sev-.

,eral of which may be employed in the apparatus, has its upper surface contoured to correspond substantially with the bottom profile curvature of the shoe being made and, although substantially sole-shaped, is preferably narrower than the narrowest sole to be clamped upon it. The form is mounted for rocking movements on the upper end of the post by means now tolbe described. On the central portion of its under side the form is provided with a longitudinal rib or flange 5|, from which projects the headed end portion of a pin 52. The rib is engaged in a. groove 54 formed in the curved head of a form holder 53 secured by set screw 55 on the upper end of the jack post, and the projecting headed end of the pin is loosely received in a hole extending through the holder from the bottom wall of its groove at 56. Thus constructed, any one of several forms of different shapes may be instantly mounted or removed from the upper end of the jack, it being necessary merely to depress the treadle and place the form on the fitting with the pin extending through the hole 56, thereby positioning the rib 5| in the groove 54 to prevent relative movement transversely and limiting relative movements longitudinally. To -remove the form it is only necessary to depress the treadle while holding the form stationary with the hands. It will be noted that by this arrangement the form is free to rock about an indeterminate transverse horizontal axis relative to the form holder within the rather considerable limits permitted by the pin 52 and, therefore, when the sole is mounted on the form and the treadle is released, engagement of the sole against the abutments 36 will cause the form to rock forwardly or rearwardly and equalize the pressure of the sole against the spaced abutments.

Ordinarily, only two forms are required for a complete'production run, one for right shoes and one for left shoes. This is made possible because the narrowness of the form permits width sizes to be disregarded and the form is adjustable as to length, as best illustrated in Figs. 6 to 8 and 10. By reference to these figures it will be observed that the form is made invtwo parts, the forward or toe portion 51 being extensible on a slide- 58 which is conveniently formed as an extension of the rib.5|. The slide consists of a flat tongue having a central longitudinal slot at 58, one side edge of the tongue having a series of notches therein to form a rack 60. A block 6| secured on the under side of the toe portion of the form engages in the slot 59 and carries a spring-pressed plunger 62 having a detent or dog 63 for engagement with the notches of the rack. On its inner face on the other side of the tongue the sizes of shoes are marked oil to indicate the proper position of the rear edge of the rack are so positioned and spaced that the dog may be engaged in the rack when the shapes. 'widely varying heel heights, forms of correspondtoe portion of the form is adjusted to any one of the sizes indicated. To effectthe adjustment, it is merely necessary to press the plunger 62 against the resistance of the spring 62 and slide the toe portion of the form to the proper position before releasing the plunger to lock the dog in the registering notch of the rack.

As just described, the use of narrow extensible forms obviates the need for a large number of them in making shoes of different sizes and However, where the shoes are to have ing heightwise curvature may be employed; also lwhere the soles vary greatly as to rounded shape or swing, forms of appropriate shape are used and their use may require adjustment of the position of the form holder on the upper end of the jack, adjustment of the relative position of the abutments 36, or both, to insure that. the abutments will engage a sole positioned on the form -at or near a longitudinal median line, as otherwise the abutments might engage so closely to the sole margin as to impede the shoe assembling operations. Adjustment of the angular position of the form with respect to the frame may be readily made by loosening the set screw 55, turning the form holder 53 to the desired position on the jack post, and then retightening the screw. Relative adjustment of the abutments 36-36 is also readily accomplished since the forward abutment is carried on a separate arm 31 fitted to the upper arm 35 of the frame and secured by a cap screw 38, thereby permitting the forward abutment to be adjusted and secured in various angular relationships to the rearward abutment.

Although each of these various adjustments may be quickly made, if several of them are required at the same time, it might tirethe operator to hold the treadle in depressed position while they are being efiected. Therefore, the arms of the frame are formed as separate parts, the lower arm 30 being provided with a bearing for the lower cylindrical portion M of the upper arm' 35 which projects through the bearing andcarries a strap 42 secured on the end thereof by a screw 43. One end of the strap extends for abutment against a flange depending from the upper arm, thereby limiting relative movement of the arms to one direction, and their relative movement in the opposite direction is normally prevented by a spring-pressed catch engaging in a notch formed in the other end of the strap at 44, the catch being retained in the lower arm by the head of a screw 46. However, little effort is required to disengage the catch when it is desired to swing the upper arm from its position directly above the jack post. When this is done, the post will be forced upwardly by the spring 28 until end portions of the pin 34 carried in the jack post engage against the stop provided by the upper limits of the slot in the frame hub at 33, thus permitting the apparatus to be adjusted without the necessity of holding the treadle depressed. Also, in order to relieve the spring 28 of unnecessary tension, it is preferred to swing the upper arm from its position directly over the jack post when the apparatus is not in use.

There remains for description the very useful gage 65 mounted, as best shown in Figs. 1 and 2, on the upper arm of the frame between the abutments 36-36. The gage consists of a channelshaped piece of sheet metal mounted astraddle the arm and having a longitudinal slot in its top at 66 to receive a set screw 61 whereby the gage is retained for sliding movements lengthwise of the arm. The sides of the gage at its forward end are cut to form points 68 for indicating the proper position of a sole on the form, it being understood that the soles are marked for registration with the points of the gage before being mounted on the form. The importance of this feature will be appreciated when it is realized that if means for guiding the operator in positioning the sole on the form were not provided, the sole would probably not be conformed to correspond with the margin of the upper represented diagrammatically at U, with the result that the upper would not fit smoothly about the margin of the sole.

In making shoes with the assistance of the ap, paratus, assuming that an appropriate form 50 has been mounted'at the proper angle and extended for the length of the shoe to be assembled,

and assuming also that the abutments 36 are located over central areas of the form and that the gage 65 has been properly set, the following mode of operation is followed: The treadle is depressed, a fitted upper U is dropped over the form and a sole S is held over the form in proper relation to the gage, whereupon the treadle is released, allowing the jack post to be raised by the spring 28 to bend and clamp the sole against the abutments in conformity with the upper surface of the form. The upper is then brought up about the sole and its margin progressively attached to the margin of the sole in relation to match marks previously made on the shoe parts. During attachment of the parts, the clamped sole may be turned about so that its margin will be presented in positions most convenient for the operator and, being conformed to proper longitudinal curvature, the sole margin will neatly receive the margin of the scant upper without such shirring and stretching of the latter as would occur were it attempted to attach the upper tothe sole in flat condition.

Although a preferred embodiment of the invention particularly suited for use in making shoes in accordance with the unlasted" method .taught in Quinn Patent No. 2,107,501 has been described. it is resired to have it clearly understood that the present invention may be found useful in making shoes in other ways, and that for such purposes changes and modifications in the apparatus may be made within the scope of the following claims.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of' the United States is:

1. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a post, a form mounted for rocking movements on the upper end of the post, said form having its upper surface profiled to correspond substantially with the heightwise curvature of a shoe bottom, a pair of spaced abutments positioned above the form on opposite sides of the rocking axis thereof, resilient means normally urging the form and the abutment toward each over to clamp work on the form against said abutments, and a treadle for separating the form. and the abutments against the resistance of said resilient means.

2. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a frame mounted for pivoting movements, a post extending through the pivotal axis of the frame, means connecting the post and frame for angular movements together, a form mounted for rocking movements on the upper end of the post, said frame having a portion extending over the form, abutments carried by said frame portion on opposite sides of the rocking axis of the form, a spring co-operating with the post and the frame to clamp a shoe sole between the form and said abutments, and a treadle for separating the form and the abutments against the resistance of said spring.

3. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a support, a post rotatable in the support, a form on the upper end of the post, said form having its upper surface profiled to correspond substantially with the heightwise curvature of a shoe bottom, a frame mounted on the support for concentric pivoting movements with the post, a portion of said frame extending over the form and providing an abutment for clamping work against the form, resilient means normally urging the form and the abutment toward each other to clamp work on the form against said abutment, and a treadle for separating the form and the abutment against the resistance of said resilient means.

4. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a support, a jack post rotatable in the'support. a form on the upper end of the post, a frame mounted on the support for concentric pivoting movements with the post, a portion of said frame extending over the form and providing an abutment for clamping work against the form, resilient means urging the post upwardly toward said abutment, and a treadle for depressing the post against the resistance of said resilient means.

5. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising a post, a form mounted on the upper end of the post, said form having its upper surface profiled to correspond substantially with the heightwise curvature of a shoe bottom, a frame having an arm extending over the form and providing an abutment, means for effecting relative movement between the post and the frame to clamp a shoe sole on the form against said abutment, said arm being pivotally connected to the frame, and means for holding the arm from pivoting relatively to the rest of the frame.

6. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a swivel head, a substantially c-shaped frame having a hub on its lower arm mounted for swiveling movements on said head, a jack post extending through said hub and through the head, means connecting the post and frame for angular movements together, a spring urging the post upwardly, a work support mounted on the upper end of the post for clamping work against the upper arm of the frame, and a treadle for depressing the post against the resistance of said spring to unclamp the work.

7. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a support, a substantially C-shaped frame having its lower arm pivotally mounted on the support, a jack post extending through the pivotal axis of the frame, means connecting the post and frame for angular movements together, a spring connected between the support and the post urging the post upwardly, a treadle for depressing the post against the resistance of the spring, a work support mounted on the upper end of the post for clamping work against the upper arm of the frame, said upper arm being pivotally connected to the lower arm thereof, and means for preventing relative movement of said arms.

8. Apparatus for use in making shoes, comprising, in combination, a support, a substantially C-shaped frame having a hub on its lower arm mounted for swiveling movements on said support, a jack post extending through said hub, a

spring urging the post upwardly, means connecting the post and frame for angular movements together and limiting upward movement of the post, a'treadle for depressing the post against the resistance of the spring, a form mounted for rocking movements on the upper end of the post, the upper work supporting surface of the form being profiled to correspond substantially with the heightwise curvature of a shoe bottom, the upper arm of the frame carrying two spaced work clamping abutments positioned on opposite sides of the rocking axis of the form whereby pressure of work clamped on the form is equalized against the abutments.

9. Apparatus for use in making shoes c omprising, in combination, a post, an extensible work support mounted for rocking movements on the upper end of the post, a pair of spaced abutments positioned over the work support, one on each side of the rocking axis thereof, and means for effecting relative movement between the work support and said abutments to bend and clamp a shoe sole between them, said work support comprising a substantially sole-shaped form having ashank and heel portion the upper surface of which is profiled to correspond substantially with the heightwise curvature of a shoe bottom, a tongue carried on the under side of the shank portion and projecting forwardly thereof, the projecting portion of said tongue having a longitudinal slot therein and a rack formed in one side edge thereof, a toe portion having a block on the under side thereof engaged for sliding movements in said slot and a detent carried in theblock and engageable in said rack.

10. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, an extensible work support, an abutment positioned over the work support, and means for effecting relative movement between the support and said abutment to clamp a shoe sole between them, said work support being substantially sole-shaped and comprising a shank and heel portion having a forwardly projecting tongue carried on the under side thereof, the projecting portion of said tongue having a longitudinal slot formed therein and a rack formed in one side edge thereof, a toe portion having a block on the under side thereof engaged for sliding movements in said slot and a detent retained in the block and engageable in the rack.

11. In apparatus for use in making shoes, an extensible form comprising a sole-shaped plate having a shank and heel portion, a tongue secured on the under side of the shank portion and projecting forwardly thereof, the projecting portion of said tongue having a longitudinal slot therein and a rack formed in one side edge thereof, a toe portion having a block on the under side thereof engaged for sliding movements in said slot, and a spring-pressed detent carried in the block and engageable in said rack.

12. In apparatus for use in making shoes, an extensible form comprising a substantially soleshaped plate having a shank and heel portion the upper surface of which is profiled to correspond substantially with the heightwise curvature of a shoe bottom, a tongue carried on the under side of the shank portion and projecting forwardly thereof, the projecting portion of said tongue having a longitudinal slot therein and a rack formed in one side edge thereof, a toe portion having a block on the under side thereof engaged for sliding movements in said slot, and a detent retained in the block and engaged in said rack.

13. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a frame mounted for pivoting movements, a post extending through the pivotal axis of the frame, means connecting the post and frame for angular movements together, a form holder carried on the upper end of the post, said frame having a portion extending over said form holder to provide an abutment, a spring urging the post and said frame portion toward each other for clamping work against a form on the holder, a treadle for separating the post and said frame portion against the resistance of the spring to unclamp the work, and means for securing the holder in different angular positions on the post.

14. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a post, a form on the upper end of the post, said form being substantially sole-shaped, a pair of spaced abutments positioned over the form, means for effecting relative movement between the form and said abutments to clamp a shoe sole against the form, one of said abutments being movable relative to the other, and means for securing the movable abutment in different angular relationships to the other abutmen't.

15. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a post, a form mounted for rocking movements on the upper end of the post, said form having its upper surface profiled to correspond substantially with the heightwise curvature of a shoe bottom, a pair of spaced abutments positioned over the form, one" on each side of the rocking axis thereof, means for effecting relative movement between the form and said abutments to bend and clamp a shoe sole against the form, and a gage carried between said abut ments for indicating the position of a sole in relation to the form.

16. Apparatus for use in making shoes comprising, in combination, a frame mounted for pivoting movements, a jack post extending through the pivotal axis of the frame, means connecting the post and frame for angular movements together, a form holder carried on the upper end of the post, a form mounted for rocking movements on said holder, said frame having a portion extenidng over the form, a pair of spaced abutments carried on said frame portion, one on each side of the rocking axis of the form, a spring urging the post upwardly to bend and clamp a shoe sole between the form and said abutments, a treadle for depressing the post against the resistance of the spring, one of the abutments being movable on said frame portion, means for securing the movable abutment in different angular relationships to the other abutment, and means for securing the form holder in different angular positions on the post.

HARRY L. SUTCLIFFE.

CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 2,170,831 s 295- 939- HARRY L. SUTCLIFFE.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specificstion of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page}, first cdlumn, line 63, claim 1, for the word "over' read other; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same my conform to'the record of the case .in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 3rd day of October, A. D. 1939.

Henry Vsn Aradale, (3011) Acting Conmiasioner of Patents. 

